A South African rugby critic is turning the heat on All Black captain Kieran Read, accusing him of a "clear professional foul around the neck".
But it's brought a divided reaction from Springbok fans, some of whom say it paints them as bad losers. One points out that the Springboksgot away with high tackles on Ardie Savea.
Journalist Brenden Nel, who has a strong Twitter following, has questioned why World Rugby didn't cite Read from the lineout incident in the opening game at Yokohama.
Wonder what the @allblacks say about this? Clear professional foul, around the neck, nowhere near the ball? Will @worldrugby do anything? Probably just bury their heads in the sands. It's their all blacks after all... https://t.co/yU8ynC3ZNN
But Read impedes du Toit with a coat hanger type tackle around the neck area, with the big Springboks flanker ending up on the deck.
TV footage showing Kieran Read's tackle on Pieter-Steph du Toit. Photo / Supplied
"Wonder what the All Blacks say about this?," tweets Nel.
"Probably just bury their heads in the sand. It's their All Blacks after all."
But a Springbok supporter reckoned there were neck high tackles on All Black Ardie Savea that went unpunished in the match controlled by Frenchman Jerome Garces.
"Doing this just makes us look like bad losers. Stop playing the victim," the supporter tells Nel, a former Supersport rugby editor.
Another fan attacked Nel for an "All Black hating narrative", but Nel also had supporters.
There were 2 neck high tackles on Savea yesterday with one going on for a few seconds. Would you like to show that too? I wish we would stop complaining abt referees. He was poor both ways. Doing this just make us look like bad losers. Stop playing the victim
